50 SKY SHADES - World aviation news

United States aviation news

Boeing's Dreamliner 787-10: Late Bloomer or Complete Bust?

Three years ago this week, Boeing officially launched the third and largest variant of its groundbreaking Dreamliner jet: the 787-10. At the time, Boeing had secured 102 orders from two leasing companies and three major global airlines, including United Continental . However, sales have been extremely slow since then. Today -- with less than two years to the first 787-10 del...

Introducing ‘Maxwell’: NASA reveals experimental electric X-plane

NASA has unveiled plans for its experimental electric plane, designated the X-57 and nicknamed "Maxwell," in the agency’s first addition to the groundbreaking ‘X series’ in a decade. ‘Maxwell’ was introduced Friday at the Aviation 2016 conference in Washington by NASA Administrator Charles Bolden during his keynote address. The hybrid electric res...

Boeing gets new robots onboard for 737 production

Boeing is introducing a faster layer of automation into its 737 factory, adding a new robotic system to drill holes in the main beams inside each wing known as spars, industry sources said. The move deepens the US jetmaker’s thrust into automation as it prepares to boost output of its best-selling airliner, while also preparing the ground work for future aircraft that will be designed wit...

GE Aviation to build unique materials factories

In a ceremony yesterday with Alabama public officials, GE Aviation broke ground on two adjacent factories to mass-produce silicon carbide (SiC) materials used to manufacture ceramic matrix composite components (CMCs) for jet engines and land-based gas turbines for electric power. GE Aviation is investing more than $200 million to construct two factories on 100 acres in Huntsville. When the fact...

Piper M600 Receives Type Certification

Piper Aircraft announced yesterday that the company's newest flagship, the Piper M600, has now received type certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Piper Aircraft, Inc. and the FAA made the announcement today at the company's headquarters in Vero Beach, Florida. On behalf of the FAA the type certificate was presented to Piper Aircraft President and CEO, Simon Cald...

Happy Birthday Boeing! Seattle celebrates 100 years of the jet in museum of flight

This year is the 100th anniversary of Boeing, the Aerospace manufacturer founded in Seattle in 1916. To tie in with the centennial, Seattle’s Museum of Flight has arranged a calendar of special events, and, this month will unveil a new $23 million Aviation Pavilion housing 19 unique airplanes. Anchoring the proceedings are the museum’s ongoing &lsq...

The Weather Company Collaborates with Gogo Business Aviation To Help Improve Turbulence Safety

Each year, turbulence incidents cost airlines approximately $100 million due to crew and passenger injuries, unscheduled maintenance, operational inefficiencies, and revenue lost while planes are out of service. In fact, studies have shown that aircraft encounters with turbulence are the leading cause of non-fatal injuries in the commercial airline industry.  Dedicated to improving aviatio...

The Ultimate Flying Experience - A Chance to Fly the Martin Mars

 Coulson Flying Tankers – Owners of the Largest Flying Water Bombers in the world, the mighty Martin Mars, announced today the launch of the Ultimate Aviation Experience: A chance to fly the Martin Mars aircraft.   "The Martin Mars aircraft, holders of numerous world records, are truly amazing pieces of WW2 history, as they are the largest aircraft ever built.  Be...

Gulfstream Completes Ultimate Load Testing For G500

Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. announced it has completed ultimate load testing for the all-new Gulfstream G500. Ultimate load represents 150 percent of limit load and is equivalent to a 1.5 safety factor specified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Limit load is the maximum level that an aircraft should experience once during its servi...

Sikorsky's S-92® Helicopter Fleet Surpasses One Million Flight Hours

The global fleet of Sikorsky S-92® helicopters recently surpassed one million flight hours, in an impressively short time of less than 12 years.  Sikorsky is a Lockheed Martin company. "We are incredibly thankful to our customers, suppliers and employees for reaching this milestone, and we are tremendously proud of the S-92 helicopter's industry-leading safety record," sa...

U.S. declines to say if Boeing has license to sell planes to Iran

The U.S. State Department said on Tuesday it could not address whether Boeing has obtained a license to sell commercial aircraft to Iran, but a spokesman said the Iran deal allows licensing of commercial aircraft sales on a case-by-case basis. The department commented after Iran said it had reached an agreement with Boeing Co. for the supply of jetliners, reopening the country's skies to ne...

How NASA Wants To Build a Supersonic Plane Without the Boom

When the Concorde, a 1970s design, made its last flight in 2003, few may have guessed how hard it would be to achieve commercial supersonic flight once again. Aerospace companies have underestimated the challenges of developing a supersonic airliner ever since, though we might finally be getting close to overcoming the technological hurdles that have stymied supersonic air trav...